Sprinkler



MarCh 21, 1939. 'Q p, KRAMER 2,151,214

SPRINKLER Filed June 17, 1935 Patented Mar. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE SPRmKLER Clarence P. Kramer, Chicago, Ill.

Application June 17, 1935, Serial No. 26,948

14 Claims.

This invention relates in general to a sprinkler and has more particular reference to that type of lawn sprinkler which is of the disappearing type having a sprayer head which automatically 5 rises from a receptacle set into the ground, due

to the pressure of water, and falls back by gravity, closing the receptacle when the water pressure is shut off.

An important object oi the invention is in the l provision of new and improved means for directing and guiding the spray discharged from a head of this kind but confining the spray at the desired limits and by tilting the sprayer head to direct the water at dierent elevations.

A further object of the invention is in the provision of a sprayer head having a number of holes which are controlled by an inside valve which is adjustable from the outside for changing a three-quarter-round sprayer at will either to a mi one-half or a one-quarter-round sprayer head.

A still further object of the invention is in the provision of an adjustable guard which is slightly curled, which has the effect of keeping the sprayed water in a straight line as far as possible from the head.

A still further object of the invention is in the provision of a removable screen within the sprayer head which can be easily removed for cleanq ing purposes without disturbing the setting of the 33a head.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, in which,

Fig. 1 is a sectional -vievr yof the sprinkler in 35 closed position;

Fig. 2 is a View partly in section and partly in elevation showing the sprinkler head in raised or sprinkling position;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the adjustable guard;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 1;

Lt: Fig. 6 is a sectional view illustrating the head in inclined position; and

Fig. '7 is a diagrammatic view showing the use of a sprinkler for diierent spraying areas.

In using a sprinkler head of this kind it is fre- 50 quently desired to restrict the area covered by the nozzles to a half, a quarter, or even less, of the area covered by a full sprinkler head With nozzles all around, and it is furthermore desirable to vary the throw of the spray in any of 55 the full-round or less than full-round nozzles,

which may be used. By full-round is meant the provision of discharge holes entirely around the head so that the spray will be discharged in all directions. The present invention is designed and intended to provide for the tilting of a full-round 5 head to direct and to Vary the Spray as desired from it, and it is also to provide improved means for confining the spray from less than a fullround head by means of a valve on the inside and by means of adjustable guard plates on the 10 outside.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, a sprinkler head casing Ill is connected at its lower end to a water supply pipe I I and the top of the casing is usually set at or just below the level of the ground which it is intended to sprinkle. At the lower end of the casing is a restricted bore I2 through which a hollow shell I3 extends loosely having a ange Ill at its lower end for restricting the upward movement and for closing the bore i2. The upper end of the shell I3 is threaded into a iitting I5 externally threaded to receive a plate I@ with projections I 'I engaging longitudinal grooves I8 in the casing to prevent rotation of the tting.

In the upper end of the fitting I5 .is a round or spherical seat i9 for engaging a ball iitting 2li which is held thereon and in any adjusted position by a threaded gland 2l which engages the outer surface of the tting 2D for holding it 30 inclined and in any adjusted position, as shown more clearly in Fig. 6. Pivoted to opposite sides of the gland 2| are arms 22 of a closure plate 23 which fits loosely within and closes the end of the casing I0. This closure plate has a weight 35 24 at one side which causes it to drop as shown in Fig. 2, to uncover the spraying head when it is in operation.

Extending from the ball tting 2li is an integral, externally threaded sleeve 25 with spraying per- 40 forations or nozzles 25 at the base of the sleeve inclined to discharge water from the inside of the ball iitting in an upward and outward direction. Loosely adjustable on the outside of the sleeve 25 is a spraying guard 2l having a lower 45 inclined surface 28 for guiding the water from the spraying nozzles 26.

For full-round spraying heads this guard 2l is all that may be needed for discharging the water in a circular path, and the ball tting 2Q may 50 be variously inclined to raise or lower the spray line as desired.

For less than full-round spraying an adjustable guard plate has a ring portion 30 which is engaged by a clamping ring 3| threaded on the 55 hollow sleeve 25 and held by the clamping ring against the adjacent shoulder of the ball fitting 2li and has spaced vanes 32 held away from the inclined surface 28 of the spray guard 21 to provide a thin curvedv space between each vane 32 and the adjacent surface of guard 28. Each vane 32 preferably embraces the space covered by one of the nozzle openings 2G and each space between the varies contains van opening 26. One or more of the Vanes has a downwardly turned guide edge 33 at one side thereof so that the water striking this vane and against the edge 33 is coniined in a straight line therefrom so that the lateral edge of the spray can be accurately determined and directed, as along the edge of a f sidewalk. The guard 21 is also provided with a spray plate 34 adapted to project between the vanes 32 and below the guard 21 so that it may be adjusted with respect to the guard plate 33 to conne the spray from the openings in an arc between the guards 33 and 34.

Thus the spray from adjacent openings 26 is directed in diiferent thin paths which do not intersect and produce a joint meeting place; for the spray from one opening 25 will engage a vane 32, and the spray from the next opening 26 on either side will engage the guard surface 28 vand the edges of the arc of this spray will pass between the vanes 32 and the guard surface 28, out of the path of that spray which engages either of the vanes 32, and there will be no interfering c0ntact between the edges of the sprays.

To restrict the spraying arc requires that a valve 35 is provided at the inside of the ball tting 22 adapted to cover substantially one-half of the nozzle openings 25 within the iitting and. having a stem 35 which extends outwardly beyond the end of the sleeve 25 where'it is provi-ded with a re-` straining washer 31 and a cotter pin 38 at the outer end of the stem and with a coil spring 39 surrounding the stem and bearing at one end against the underside of the washer 31 and at the other end against the end of the sleeve 25. The spring holds the valve 35 in any position in which it is set and the valve may be adjusted to cover more or less of the discharge openings 26 which can easily be seen by removing the ball fitting 25B and looking at the under side thereof as in Fig. 5, the exposed openings 26 havingV the limiting guards 33 and 34 for any adjustment thereof.

Thus it will be Seen that for less than a full rotary sprayer a sprayer head comprises approximately three-quarters of the sprayer openings refquired for a full-head, the valve 35 covers approximately one-half of the circumference, and by the adjustments thereof it can be set toy un-v cover any desired number of sprayer openings up to substantially a one-half round sprayer.

By correspondingly adjusting the side lguard plates 33 and 34 the limiting edges of the spray are accurately dened, thus preventing wastage of water and the wetting of surfaces which =do=`not require watering. It will furthermore be seen that the adjustment of the spraying openings for less than full-round spraying operations is entirely independent of the inclination of the sprayer head so that one can be effected without the other or both may be utilized for the most efficient spraying or sprinkling operation.

At the upper end of the pipe i3 within the fitting i5 a strainer 5i) is seated, which may be fiat or conical as shown, and it is easily removable for repair or replacement by simply removing the gland 2l and the tting 2D.

In the diagram shown by Fig. 7, a sprayer head 4D may be set for a half-round spray 4I against one edge of a wall d2; a one-quarter sprayer 43 with a full distance spray 44 may be set between the right angled side limits 45 and 45; and a sprayer head l? may be so located that its'spray outline 48 is less than the full spraying distance and may cover one-quarter or one-half olf-a re-Y duced circle as shown. From this it is` obvious that many variations of the spraying head may be made by simply varying the above described adjustable parts.

I claim:

1. A lawn sprinkler having a sprinkler head comprising a fitting with nozzle openings yat the top, a guide carried by the ntting above the nozzle openings for causing a thin arcuate spray, valve means within the tting for closing some of the.

openings and means carried by the fitting for limiting the side spray from the openings which are not closed.

2. In a lawn sprinkler, 4a sprinkler head com- Y prising a fitting with a ring of upwardly inclined nozzle openings, a valve adjustable within the fitting for covering some of the openings, and adjustable means carried by the fitting at the outside and above the nozzle openings for limiting the upward and side spray from'the nozzle openings not closed by the valve. Y

3. In a lawn sprinkler, a sprinkler head having a number of upwardly inclined nozzle openings,

4. In a lawn sprinkler, a sprayinghead com- Y Vprising a hollow fitting having openings extend-V ing upwardly and outwardlyV and a threaded stem extending centrally therefrom, a guard mounted on the stem and having a lower inclined surface for limiting the upward spray'from the openings, a guide plate extending downwardly from thisV guard between the openings'to limit the spray from adjacent openings to a straight line, a valve adjustable within the fitting for closing some openings leaving others open, and a vaned guard for alternate openings adjustable between the otherY guard memberand the openings of the fitting having a downwardly turned guide at the edge of the vane for limiting the spray from another opening so that the spraying arc can be controlled .and limited by the valve and said guide plate and the downwardly turned guide edge of the vaned guard.

5. A lawn sprinkler structure Yin accordance with claim 4, in which the sprayer fitting has a spherical outside surface, and an adjustable confining gland thefefor to adjust the inclination of the'tting and thereby to vary the arc and inclination of the spray from the nozzle openingsV thereof. Y I

6. In a sprinkler, a sprinkler head having a plurality of openings from which the spray would normally intersect, and means forming adjustable and differently disposed guide surfaces for the openings to direct and separate the spray from adjacent openings in similar non-intersecting paths the discharge from alternate openings engaging one surface and the discharge from the remaining openings engaging another surface.

7. In a sprinkler, a sprinkler head having spraying openings, a yguide having a surface for engaging spray from the openings and another guide with vanes. for engaging spray from alternate openings with surfaces substantially parallel with the rst guide surface and spaced from the rst guide so that spray from the openings between the Vanes passes between the guides.

8. In a sprinkler head according to claim 7, an end guide on each of the said other guides extending across the space between them and adjustable for varying and limiting the combined arc of spray of the openings and for defining an accurate end spray limit at each end of the arc.

9. In a sprinkler according to claim 7, an adjustable valve within the sprinkler head; ffor determining the openings from which the spray will issue and thereby varying the arc of the combined spray from the nozzles.

10. In a sprinkler according to claim 7, means on and adjustable with and between the said guides for limiting the combined arc of spray which issues from the spray openings, and valve means within the head adjustable to control the openings through which the spray issues.

11. In a lawn sprinkler, a sprayer head comp-rising a ball iitting having a confining gland for adjusting and holding it in different angular positions, the ball tting having a number of spraying openings, and means carried by the tting operable from the outer end of the head for .adjustably controlling the number of openings which are operative for spraying purposes and other adjustable means for limiting the spray in an upward and lateral direction.

12. In a sprinkler', a sprinkler head comprising a ball and a socket joint having an end tting with a spherical seat, a hollow ball fitting adjustably on the seat at various .angular inclinations, the ball having a ring of nozzles at its upper end, and a gland ring engaging the socket member and binding the ball in place thereon, and a guard carried by the ball fitting and overlying the nozzles with a lower inclined surface to limit and direct spray from them in an outward and upward direction.

13. In a sprinkler, a sprinkler head comprising a ball and socket joint in which the ball member is a hollow fitting having a ring of upwardly inclined nozzle discharge openings for spraying in diiierent radial directions, a valve on the inside of the ball fitting adjustable to cover some of the nozzle openings, allowing fluid discharge from the others, and the ball fitting having a hollow stem through which the valve extends outside of the joint and through which it is adjusted, the socket member of the joint having a circular opening for limiting the angular adjustment of the stem and the inclination of the ball tting therein.

14. In a sprinkler, a ball fitting having a l1ollow stem and a ring of discharge nozzle openings in the ball at the base of the stem, a valve within the ball fitting adjustable to cover some of the openings leaving the others open for discharge, having an adjusting stem which extends through the hollow stem, and holding means connected to the valve and hollow stern for retaining the valve in any adjusted position with respect to the openings. l

CLARENCE P. KRAMER. 

